


How it Feels to Fly

by SmartZelda



Series: Soriku Oneshots [8]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Destiny Trio, M/M, Some Sokai Mention, Soriku - Freeform, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 02:17:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20922533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmartZelda/pseuds/SmartZelda
Summary: Kingdom Hearts AU where pretty much everything is the same, but everyone (excluding Disney, The World Ends With You, and Final Fantasy characters besides Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka) has angel wings that can change in appearance based on how close someone is to light or darkness.





	How it Feels to Fly

**Author's Note:**

> These oneshots contain fluff and/or angst, no smut.
> 
> Also, because there's not much difference, this oneshot covers only specific moments within the Kingdom Hearts series.

Sora bounds into a run, sprinting across the shore of the island, kicking up sand as he goes. He doesn't know where his sudden burst of energy came from, having been snoozing on the beach earlier, but he is more than happy to roll with it. He lets his arms fly behind him as he goes faster and faster; however, the longer he sprints, the more he feels the tingle spreading through his upper back, and soon down to the tips of his brilliantly white, but grey-tipped, angel wings. The wind rushes into his face and around his body faster as he takes flight, climbing higher and higher with every wing flap until he finally stretches his wings out to glide. He revels in the excitement that comes from flying, but also the strange serenity of it, despite the strength of the winds around him and the height he is from the ground. This little play island he plays on with his friends looks even more beautiful from above. The little specks of his friends inching along below as he admires the treehouse, beautiful trees, the ocean, and, soon, the paopu fruit tree. He descends down towards the tree, slowing enough to not ram into the ground, but too fast to land on his feet successfully.

"Sora!" a voice calls from the direction of the tree.

Sora recognizes the voice almost immediately, looking in the direction of it as he rubs his bruised butt and pushes himself up. "Hey, Riku!" he calls back, waving to Riku.

Riku walks in a stride over to Sora, tall, proud, confidence radiating, even rolling off of him in waves, as he stretches his wings out and cracks his neck. He holds up a wooden sword in his right hand and smirks, "How about a spar? Just you and me."

"Well...Riku. Actually...could I talk with you about-"

"Are you going to fight? Or are you going to run back to Kairi a weakling?" Riku interrupts with a taunt.

'Yesterday' is what Sora was going to say before Riku interrupted him, but after Riku's interrupting taunt, his priorities shift. Anger wells up inside him. "I'm no weakling! I'll wipe the floor with you Riku!"

"I'd like to see you try. I mean...what's the score right now...twenty to two?"

It makes Sora even more angry knowing that Riku's statement is correct, but it makes him want to beat Riku even more. _I'll beat him. I'll beat him and not only show Kairi that I'm not a weakling...but I'll prove to Riku that I can be just as strong as he is! _Sora sprints over to the paopu tree to grab his own wooden sword off of it, then back where he bends over into his fighting stance in front of Riku.

"So I take it you accept the challenge?" A playful and confident smile snakes across Riku's face as he gets in his own fighting stance.

"I'll beat you!"

Riku doesn't have to wait long before Sora rushes in to strike, but he manages to block and counterattack. It's not hard for him to block Sora's attacks at first, and even in the event Sora manages to hit him and he falls into a backwards roll onto the ground, he easily manages to push himself up, both feet flying in Sora's direction.

_I know that move. _Sora manages to dodge, then strike again. The battle continues pretty back and forth for a while, but his focus on it slowly begins to decrease as it shifts more to Riku's wings. _Something's not right. His wings...they..._ He goes in to strike Riku again. _They're getting more and more gray. That..._

Riku takes advantage of Sora's loss of focus to knock him to the ground, take Sora's wooden sword, and hold his own down to Sora's neck. "I win."

Sora stares up at Riku's wings, not really paying attention. _Riku, what's...what's going on with you?_

Riku nudges Sora in the side with his foot and throws Sora's own wooden sword down beside him, breaking Sora out of his trance.

Sora sits up and grabs his wooden sword. _I guess...I really am a weakling._

"That's eighteen to two."

Sora stands up and nods, a frown on his face.

Riku turns around to walk back to the paopu tree and waves Sora off. "I would give you the option of a rematch...but Kairi'll have your head if you don't do your share of the work."

"Oh yeah! The raft!" Sora takes a running start across the bridge and lifts higher and higher into the sky until he can fly to another part of the beach, where Kairi and the raft wait.

Riku watches him go, leaning against the paopu tree. He sighs and looks down at his feet once Sora disappears from his view. _Sora could have actually won today. I know...I only won today because he lost his focus. It must have been over something that really bothers him because...usually nothing breaks the fury and determination he gets when I rile him up to fight me._

Eventually, Riku looks over at his graying wings and sighs again. "They're getting darker and darker." Then, he turns his gaze to the sky. _Oh, Sora...I feel you moving far away from me. You're pulling apart from me and gravitating towards Kairi...I feel it. If my wings...if they get darker...will it mean I'm going to lose you for good? Every day...I just...I just can't help getting more jealous. Why can't you notice me instead? Why do I have to be alone? You're supposed to be __**my**__ best friend. You're supposed to be _**_mine_**_._

_~_

Sora and Kairi stand near the raft, talking to each other.

"Come on. You know you're not a weakling, Sora."

"But...but I can't even beat Riku...or at least not often enough for it to matter. He's just...so strong and I'm-"

"You're not nothing," Kairi interrupts. "You're strong too. You just need to figure out where your strength lies."

"I...I guess...T-thanks, Kairi."

"You're welcome," Kairi smiles.

Kairi closes her eyes, letting the breeze flow through her short scarlett hair and her sparkling pure white wings, and Sora soon does the same. Eventually though, Sora opens his eyes with a frown.

"Kairi."

"Yeah?"

"Something's weird with Riku. His...his wings are getting darker and I don't know why."

"Have you tried asking him?"

Sora sighs sadly, "He won't talk to me anymore. Every time I try to ask he..he..."

"He tries to divert attention from it?"

"Yeah. He always tries to provoke me into more rivalry."

_He uses you to get me to do it._

"Well..." Kairi rocks on her heels in thought. "I've got it!"

"You...do?"

"Yeah! Sometimes when you get stressed from school or feel a bunch of negative emotions your wings get a little darker. Maybe there's something making Riku sad or something temporarily."

"You think?"

"Yeah," she nods. "The feelings go away eventually don't they?"

"I...guess so..."

"Then Riku will be fine. His wings'll lighten up."

"Okay," he smiles with a nod.

"Now," Kairi laughs. "Back to work on the raft you lazy bum!"

"Hey! I'm not lazy!"

"Sure, Mister Snooze," she laughs. "I just better not find you on the beach snoozing before you bring back all the stuff, okay?"

"Okay! okay! Jeez, Kairi I'm going! I'm going!" Sora runs off to gather items for the raft.

_Is Riku really going to be okay?_

He just can't shake the feeling that something bad's going to happen to Riku.

~

Kairi, Sora, and Riku walk across the bridge, away from the paopu fruit tree, with Kairi way in front, and Sora lagging behind, Riku behind him.

"Sora."

Sora turns to face Riku and catches the object Riku threw at him. He looks down at it.

Riku points at the object. "You wanted one...didn't you?"

"A paopu fruit?" _What would I need this for?_

Riku walks in a stride past Sora. "If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."

Sora turns to face Riku's back. _I swear his wings are whiter now. Why is that?_

"C'mon. I know you want to try it."

"What are you talking-"

"Hahaha..." Riku laughs it off and frowns, still walking away from Sora. _He's so dense. He doesn't even realize what's going on._

_His wings just darkened again. What...what could have _ _caused_ _ it?_

Riku starts running, so Sora tosses the paopu fruit aside and begins running after him.

~

Sora tries to fight the heartless with his wooden sword, but once he finds it to be useless, he just gives up on fighting his way through.

_I have to find Riku and Kairi._

He takes a running start, then once in the air, glides to the circular area with the paopu fruit tree.

Upon landing, he finds Riku facing away from him.

Sora looks at Riku's wings in shock.

_They're...black._

But he can't forget why he came to the island. "Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"

"The door has opened..."

"What?"

"The door has opened, Sora!" Riku turns around, opening his eyes, to face him. "Now we can go to the outside world!"

"What are you talking about? We gotta find Kairi!"

_What's he thinking? She could be in trouble! Even if we could go now, we've gotta find her!_

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku lies.

Sora steps back in surprise.

_She...she is?_

"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Riku smiles and holds out his hand, arm outstretched, for Sora to take.

"Riku..."

A pool of darkness grows under Riku's feet and tendrils of darkness snake up and around his body, but he just continues to stand there, arm outstretched.

_Riku!_

Sora sprints forwards towards Riku, but is stopped abruptly by another pool of darkness. Sora stretches his arm out, reaching his hand to take Riku's. The darkness wraps around his body, pulling him down into the ground. He struggles still to reach Riku's hand and tries using his wings to push up against the tendrils of darkness, but to no avail.

The darkness rises high above them, engulfing Sora first.

_No, Riku!_

A few feathers fall from Riku's wings and he closes his eyes. "He was right. Sora would never be able to do it. I'm not important enough." And the darkness fully engulfs him.

~

Riku temporarily raises his blindfold from one eye to see Sora through the pod.

_I've __always__ wondered how he __can_ _look__ so peaceful. He doesn't know the trouble we're going through to wake him up._

Riku looks at Sora's wings that are wrapped around Sora protectively.

_I wonder if he knows his wings are different now. His right wing...I've never seen it so pristinely white, sparkling. It's like Kairi's. But his left...it's different for _ _some_ _ reason. It's gray. It's...almost like mine..._

Riku thinks about his own wings as he lets the blindfold fall back over his eye.

_For mine...my left reflects the worst in me. It's a bat wing that radiates darkness. It reminds me...that I hurt Sora. My right...is weird like Sora's left. It's the only one that _ _changes_ _ now, and it reminds me just how close I am to the darkness._

Riku whispers through the walls of the pod, "Sora...I'm sorry. This is all my fault, but...I'm going to make it right. I'll bring you back, and once I do...I'll go away. You'll be safer without me around." He brings a hand up to the pod and rests it on the outside. "I promise I'll save you." Riku turns to leave.

_Now to fight Roxas. I must bring Sora back._

"You better take care of Kairi when you wake up."

_Better than I took care of you that's for sure._

_~_

_Good. You've finally got her. Now you can forget about me and do what I told you to do over a year ago. Now you can take care of her. _Riku opens up the corridors of darkness and turns around, preparing to leave.

"Wait, Ansem!"

Riku turns his head. _Sora?_

"I mean...Xehanort's heartless. I never thought for a second that I'd ever see you again. Just thinking about all the things you did makes me really mad."

_It should...I...I hurt you. I got between __you_ _and__ Kairi because of my own jealousy._

"But...you saved Kairi, right? I have to be grateful for that." Sora smiles and nods, "Thanks."

Riku stands there for a second. _He always makes it harder for me to leave._

Eventually, he walks forward, but only a few seconds before he feels a tug on his arm and turns his head. _Kairi...why?_

"Riku! Don't go!"

"Kairi...what did you just say?"

_No...don't. He can't know. I have to leave him behind. I can't be here with him._

"Riku."

"I'm no one. Just a castaway from the darkness." _Let me leave. Be happy...here...with Sora._

"Sora, come here! Say something to him."

Riku turns his head to see Sora, beautiful blue eyes, spiky brown hair and all. _No no no no..._

"Here...you'll understand." Kairi takes Sora's hand and holds it on top of Riku's. "Close your eyes."

Sora looks up at Riku wearing Ansem's face in confusion, then closes his eyes.

Riku stares the whole time Sora keeps his eyes closed, and his heart aches as Sora opens his eyes and looks up at him sadly.

"Riku..."

_Oh, Sora..._

"It's Riku..." Sora falls to his knees, wings drooping down. "Riku's here..."

Riku turns around.

Sora still holds on to Riku's hand. "I looked for you..." A single tear runs down his face.

_Don't cry, Sora. Not for me. _"Come on, Sora. You've got to pull it together."

Sora looks up at Riku, tears in his eyes. "I looked everywhere for you!"

_Crap...you're going to make me cry. Why are you crying for me when you could __have__ cried for Kairi? You love her don't you? Why do you still care about me after all I've done? _"I didn't want you to find me..."

Hurt flashes on Sora's face. _Why...why not? _

_All I do is hurt you. Even now. I should just go._

"But it was him who was helpin us...wasn't it?"

"Huh?" Donald asks in confusion.

"All those clues we kept finding...that must've been Riku." Goofy turns towards Riku, Sora, and Kairi, and Donald follows.

Sora stands up.

_You got me. _"I was starting to worry you guys weren't ever going to catch on. Sora never did pick the brightest friends."

"What do you mean by that?" Donald asks angrily.

Sora places his right hand over his heart. "Why didn't you let me know you were okay?" _For so long...I've tried to figure out what happened to you, and...here you were...near me most of the time and I didn't even know._

"I told you..." Riku avoids Sora's eyes. "I didn't want to be found..." _I just wanted to __keep__ you safe. _"Not like this." He raises his left arm, then turns his head to the right when he raises his right arm. "I fought with Ansem...with Xehanort's heartless." He holds his left hand over his heart. "When it invaded my heart and I won...But to use the power of darkness...I had to become Ansem myself." _Just this form...it proves that I was weak. I don't deserve Sora...much less as my best friend if I can't win without the darkness._

"So does that mean...you can't change back?" Kairi asks.

"This battle isn't over...and until it is...I still need the power of darkness."

"Then...let's finish it." Sora squeezes his right hand into a fist. "You're still Riku...no matter what." _You'll always be my best friend. No matter __what__ happens. _"So how about it?" Sora turns around and points back at Donald and Goofy. "Think we can handle one last rumble together? The king's waiting."

"Yeah! Let's get goin!"

_After...after all this... _Riku smiles. _I can't believe he's still willing to keep me as his best friend. I really don't deserve someone like him who can see the best in anyone._

~

_I'm __supposed to__ be protecting you. You don't need to help me. _"Put me down. I can walk."

Sora takes Riku's arm off his shoulder and moves his own arm from behind Riku's back. He uses both hands to support Riku for a second so he doesn't fall, then stops once Riku pushes himself up straighter. Sora looks at Riku, concern in his eyes. _Are you really okay?_

Riku smiles back, then Sora nods, smiling as well.

_Good. I'm glad he is. _Soon, Sora turns his head towards the ocean and begins to walk towards it, stopping once he reaches the edge of the shore where the water meets black sand. "You know...maybe the darkness has gotten to me too." He turns around in the direction of Riku, only to see him lying on the ground, facedown, his black bat wing and dark gray angel wing limp. "Riku!" He sprints over to where Riku lies and slides down into a kneel beside him just as Riku attempts to push himself up. Sora looks at Riku with concern in his eyes and a frown on his face.

"This world is perfect for me." Riku raises his head up. "If this is what the world really is...just this...then maybe I should fade back into darkness." _I can't even support myself without Sora or the power of darkness. If all I can be is weak to darkness...I might as __well__ just stay here._

"Riku..."

Riku sits up on his knees. "If the world is made of light and darkness...we'll be the darkness." _Sora...would you really be up for that? An eternity here in the darkness with me?_

Sora stays on his knees in thought for a second, but afterwards turns to sit down on his butt, one knee closer to his body while the other leg stretches ahead on the ground. "Yeah. The other side...the realm of light is safe now. Kairi, the king, and the others are there."

"That's what I mean." Riku turns his head to face Sora. "Hey, Sora..." he smiles. "Could you help me? I want to get down to the water." _Sora was right...I can't do everything by myself. Maybe just for now...I need him._

Sora nods before he pushes himself up into a standing position.

Riku holds up his left hand and Sora takes it. Sora puts Riku's arm back across his shoulders again, and holds Riku's left hand in his own. He holds onto Riku's belt with his right hand, then uses both of his holds on Riku to support and push him up. Sora walks forward, doing his best to support Riku as the sand crunches under his steps towards the sea, Riku's legs dragging the whole way.

"At least the waves sound the same," Riku muses, head facing the ground. _It's weirdly comforting being supported this way __when__ I've been alone for so long._

Once they reach the shore, Sora carefully lowers Riku to the ground, then plops himself down beside him.

Riku's wings raise up a bit. _I feel better...__knowing__ he's here with me. _"What I said back there...about thinking I was better at stuff than you..." he begins.

"Hmm?"

"To tell you the truth, Sora...I was jealous of you."

_What? _Sora's head turns towards Riku in surprise, the expression on his face reflecting the surprise as well. "What for?" _You were always the strong one...what could you have been jealous of?_

A smile grows on Riku's face. "I wished I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart."

"Yeah, well. I've got my share of problems, too."

"Like what?"

"Like wanting to be like you."

"Hmm." The smile on Riku's face grows bigger. "Well, there is one advantage to being me...Something you could never imitate."

"Really? What's that?"

"Having you for a friend." _You have never given up on me...I feel blessed you still care. _Riku's right wing lightens up a little.

"Then I guess...I'm okay the way I am." A smile grows on Sora's face as well. "I've got something you could never imitate too."

_Really?_

_I'm glad I have you here by my side, Riku._

Both Sora and Riku stare up at the sky for a moment before slowly closing their eyes, letting the breeze run through their wings and hair and across their faces.

_If I could be stranded in the realm of darkness with anyone...I'm glad it's Riku._

_I wouldn't have anyone _ _else_ _ here with me for eternity, Sora. You're pretty dense, but you're my _ _best_ _ friend. I don't mind _ _that_ _ you probably don't know what _ _you_ _ feel. At least for now I know...I truly love you._

**Author's Note:**

> This one could go either way on whether it's fine as a oneshot or whether it should be turned into a fanfic. Because there's not a lot of difference, if I did write a fic based on this AU, I would probably have to add in more AU's or headcannons just to make it a bit more interesting and not just another rehash of the Kingdom Hearts series, and people would have to be interested in it. I do still have a lot of ideas for the wings though, including some that factored into this oneshot that no one would realize, simply because it isn't really touched on or brought up. Some wing symbolism is referenced I guess, but I'm really the only one who knows it because I wrote it.
> 
> I am always open to constructive criticism and appreciation! I hope you guys enjoyed!


End file.
